Skee ball game apparatus



Nov. 22, 1955 L. B. ANDERSON SKEE BALL GAME APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Shee t 1Filed July 24, 1955 /Z INVEN TOR. LESLIE B. JIVBEEJOM Arr-maven.

Nov. 22, 1955 L. B. ANDERSON SKEE BALL GAME APPARATUS Filed July 24.1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 011 j 2,724,594 SKEE BALL GAME APPARATUS Leslie B.Anderson, Hollywood, Fla. Application July 24, 1953, Serial No. 369,992

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-95 i p This invention relates to gamedevices, andmore particularly to an improved skee ball apparatus.

A main object of the invention isto provide a novel and improved gameapparatus for use in playing a game of the type in which a ball isrolled by the player and the ball is projected by engagement with a rampat the rear end of the alley into a scoring pocket, the ball beingthereafter returned to the front of the alley through a passage in thealley.

A further object of the invention is to provide animproved skee ballgame apparatus which may be folded to a substantially reduced volume fortransportation or storage, the improved apparatus being simple inconstruction, being easy to set up, and being readily adjustable toprovide a desired angular arrangement of the scoring openings relativeto the main alley portion of the game device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedfoldable skee ball game apparatus which is of relatively inexpensiveconstruction, which is exceedingly durable, and which may be rapidly andeasily set up for use from its folded position, the apparatus being ofsubstantial length when set up for use but being foldable to arelatively small volume so that it maybe easily trans ported on atrailer or other similar vehicle.

t Further, objects and advantages ofthe invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved skee ball game apparatusconstructed in accordance with the present invention, shown set up foruse.

Figure 2 is a rear end elevational view of the game apparatus of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the skee ball game apparatus ofFigures land 2 shown folded to an inoperative position fortransportation or storage.

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational detail view showing the turnbuckle connection between one of the supporting cables and the top edgeof the side of the alley of the game apparatus of Figures 1 to 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevational detail view, partly in crosssection, showing the hinged connection between the housing membercontaining the scoring apertures and the top edge of the transverse rampelement at the rear end of the alley, also illustrating the means foradjusting the angular position of said housing element relative to thealley.

Referring to the drawings, the improved skee ball game apparatus isdesignated generally at 11 and comprises an elongated alley 12 ofgenerally rectangular shape having the side walls 13, 13, the frontvertical wall 14 and the upstanding transverse ramp 15 at its rear end.The rear wall of the alley, designated at 16 is centrally apertured andcommunicates with a chute 17 formedin the lower portion of a housing 18which is hinged to the top edge of the transverse ramp 15 at 19, 19, asshown in Figures 1 and 5. The chute 17 communicates through PatentedNov. 22,1955

the aperture in the rear wall of the alley with the interior of thealley, the bottom of the alley being inclined toward the front wall 14so that balls entering the rear portion of the alley through the chute17 will roll toward the front wall 14. The intermediate portions of thefront wall 14 and the bowling surface 20 of the alley are formed withthe respective connecting notches 21 and 22 defining an aperture throughwhich the balls may be retrieved by the player.

The housing 18 is provided at its bottom corners with the respectiveadjustable stop screws 23 engageable with t the rear wall of the alley12 to adjustably limit the degree of clockwise rotation of the housing18 from the folded position thereof shown in Figure 3 to the operativeposition thereof shown in Figures 1 and 5, to provide a desired angularrelation of the inclined scoring wall 24 of the housing relative to thebowling surface 20 of the alley 12. The inclined scoring wall 24 ofhousing 18 is formed will the scoring apertures 25 arranged in themanner illustrated in Figure 1, and secured to the scoring panel 24adjacent said apertures are the respective ball-retaining baffles 26 and27, the bafiles 26 being circular in shape and surrounding the upperscoring apertures 25, and the bafiles 27 being semicircular in shape andbeing disposed subjacent the lower scoring apertures, as illustrated inFigure 1. The scoring housing 18 is provided with suitable registermeans of conventional construction having trigger elements arrangedbelow each scoringaperture, said trigger elements being connected to theregister mechanism so as to provide a scoring indication on thescore-indicating board 28 at the top end of thehousing 18 when a ball isreceived in a scoring aperture 25 or 26.1. This structure forms no partof the present invention and is well known per se. Hence, the detailsthereof are not specifically illustrated and described herein.

Secured to the respective side walls of the housing 18 and projectingforwardly therefrom, when the apparatus is set up in the mannerillustrated in Figure l, are the respective bar members 29, 29 which areconnected to the top edges of the side walls 13, 13 of the alley 12 bymeans of respective flexible cable members 30, 30 and turnbuckles 31,31. The cables 30, 30 may be tightened by means of the turnbuckles 31,31 to support the housing 18 in its adjusted position after theadjusting screws 23 have been rotated to provide the desired angularrelationship of the scoring board 24 to the bowling surface 20.

As will be readily apparent, the player rolls the ball along the playingsurface 20 toward the ramp 15, and the ball is propelled upwardly by theramp 15 and usually engages the scoring panel 24. If the player hasproperly aimed the ball, the ball will enter one of the scoringapertures 25 or 26, and a score will be registered on the indicatingboard 28. After the ball has entered the scoring aperture, and after theregistration of the score has occurred, the ball drops downwardlythrough the housing 18 and through the chute 17 in the lower end thereofinto the rear end of the alley 12 and rolls forwardly toward theaperture defined by the notches 21 and 22, so that the player mayretrieve the ball.

When the device is to be transported or stored, the housing 18 isrotated from the position thereof shown in Figure 1 to the foldedposition thereof shown in Figure 3, whereby the length and bulk of theapparatus are substantially reduced, thus improving the portability ofthe apparatus and reducing the amount of space required for the storagethereof. Thus the apparatus may be mounted on a suitable vehicle, suchas a trailer or the like, and may be readily transported. When theapparatus is to be set up for use, the housing 18 is merely rotated fromthe full line position thereof of Figure 3 to the dotted view positionthereof, and is properly adjusted by means of the stop screws 23 andthe: turnbuckles 31 o providethe desired angular relat nship o the s npanel 24 relative to the bowling surface 20.

While a specific embodiment of an improved skee ball?! game apparatushas beendisclosed in the foregoing description, it will'be understood.that various modifications within the spirit .of the invention mayoccur to those skilled-in thev art. Therefore, it is intended that nolimitations'be placed on the invention except as defined by the scopeoftherappended claims.

What is claimed is:v

1. Ina game of the character described, an elongated alley adapted forrolling of a ball therealong, said alley including a ramp at one endinclined for directing a ball rolled along the alley upwardly into freeflight otf said end, said end having a vertical end wall formed with anaperture intermediate opposite sides of the alley, the alley having areturn space opening at one end through said apertures and extending tothe other end of the alley below the surface on which said ball isrolled; a scoring wall hingedly connected at one end to one end of theramp for swinging movement about an axis extending transversely of thealley between one position in which said wall is folded to aninoperative location overlying the alley inwardly from said one end, andanother position in which the scoring Wall is disposed beyond said oneend of the alley and is inclined across the path traveled by a ball infree flight, for striking of the scoring wall by said ball, said scoringwall having a row of apertures through any of which said ball willgravitate, said row of apertures being aligned longitudinally andcentrally of the alley, achute secured to the underside of said scoringwall in alignment with and in communicat-ion with said. row of aperturesof the scoring wall, said chute being inclined correspondingly to thewall in the second named extreme position of the wall, the chute havingalower end abutting against said vertical end wall of the alley in saidsecond named extreme position of the scoring wall, ,said end of thechute communicating with the aperture of the alley end wall to provide acontinuous passageinclined from the horizontal extending within saidalley and chute in the operatively disposed position of the scoringwall.

2. In a game of the character described, an elongated alley adapted forrollingof a ball therealong, said alley including a ramp at one endinclined for directing a ball rolled along the alley upwardly into freeflight oif said end, said end having a vertical end wall formed with anaperture intermediate opposite sides of the alley, the alley having areturn space opening at one end through said apertures and extending tothe other end of the alley below the surface on which said ball isrolled; a scoring wall hingedly connected at one end to one end of theramp for swinging movement about an axis extending transversely of thealley between one position in which said wall is folded to aninoperative location overlying the alley inwardly from said one end, andanother position in which the scoring wall is disposed beyond said oneend of the alley and is inclined across the path traveled by a ball infree flight, for striking of the scoring wall by said ball, said scoringwall having a row of apertures through any of which said ball willgravitate, and row of apertures being aligned longitudinally andcentrally of the alley, a chute secured to :the underside of saidscoring wall in alignment with and in communication with said row ofapertures of the scoring wall, said chute being inclined correspondinglyto the wall in the second named extreme position of the wall, the chutehaving a lower end abutting against said vertical end wall of the alleyin said second named extreme position of the scoring wall, said end ofthe chute communicating with the aperture of the alley end 'wall toprovide a continuous passage inclined from the horizontal extendingwithin said alley and chute in the operatively disposed position of thescoring wall, said scoring wall including an end wall disposed adjacentsaid end wall of the alley in the second named extreme position:of the,scoring wall, said end wall of the scoring wall projecting laterallybeyond opposite sides of the chute, and screws threaded in the lastnamed end wall against the alley end wall at locations spaced from thehinge axis of the scoring wall, for swingably adjusting the scoring wallabout said axis, to selected positions of inclination relative to theramp.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS921,366 Conolly May 11, 1909 1,262,314 Downey Apr. 9, 1918 2,138,764Hipwell Nov. 29, 1938 2,145,840 Thompson Jan. 31, 1939 2,326,859, HooverAug. 17, 1943

